This is my most recent list for Green Devotion. I think this deck is super strong as well as very good in the current meta. I sometimes consider this a combo deck because of how it can kill quick and out of nowhere. With normal draws and little interaction turn 4 kills happen regularly. Your turn one should always consist of a mana accelerant. 12 turn one plays seems like a lot, and statistically you don't need that many for it to be probable to have one every time. However, drawing multiples doesn't hurt, and a majority of games where I've failed to have a turn one play I've lost, so I really do stand behind that number. Turns 2-3 usually have you advancing your board state with creatures that redraw while increasing your Nykthos, Shrine to Nyx devotion for the kill. Primal Command finds Craterhoof Behemoth and typically ensures your opponent won't draw an out. If you play Garruk Wildspeaker and plus him, you can also use his ultimate for the kill. This happens more often than you think.
This plan is very reliable and can race many uninteractive aggro and combo match ups. However, going to a modern tournament and expecting to not be interacted with is not a realistic expectation. This is where the name of the deck comes in. Primal Command is the reason this deck is playable. I should explain how the card works first of all. It's important to note that the 2 abilities you choose will resolve in the order they are on the card. But obviously, you can't respond to any single ability. This is important because if you use the second and third ability, you can put a card on top of your opponent's library and then shuffle it away. Also, the situation may arise where Craterhoof is in your opening hand and it gets thoughtseized away. For this scenario, you can shuffle your yard into your library and then search for the Craterhoof. These are very fringe scenarios though. Most of the time you'll be in a situation like this: you can't win the game because you don't have the mana or the board-state needed. In this situation, you can essentially Time Walk your opponent by putting a land on top of their deck and searching for an Eternal Witness to continue the loop (thus the name of the deck). This also increases devotion to help finish the game as well as increasing the creature count for your Hoofing needs. The deck is a synergistic paradise.
I feel a few of my main deck and sideboard decisions need to be explained, so here it is.
Hornet Queen: This card does work in so many match ups. Eldrazi Tron, Grixis Shadow, Jund, and several others simply can't break through when this resolves. It also works super well with our finishers.
Fog: This was one of my revelations with some of the bad match ups for this deck: aggro decks that are a turn faster than us. Decks like Hollow One, Affinity, Elves, and Goblins. I found that if there was a way to stall for the definitive kill turn, I would almost always untap and kill. This card is the perfect way to bridge that gap.
That's all I got for now. This is the fifth or sixth time I've updated this description, but the deck keeps evolving and getting better. I recently added fetches and Tireless Trackers and have been really satisfied with the results, even winning a small local IQ with the deck. With that I've added the shocks for a better sideboard. I really believe this deck is super well positioned in this meta and can take down many of the top decks. But don't take my word for it. Give it a try yourself. It's fairly budget friendly as well (A little less since I've added fetches). I'm always happy to hear suggestions to improve. Below are a bunch of cards that I've tried in the deck, but have not performed optimally, so please refrain from suggesting these.
Magus of the Candelabra // Summoner's Pact // Eidolon of Blossoms // Harmonize // Carven Caryatid //
Polukranos, World Eater // Scavenging Ooze // Chord of Calling // Primeval Titan // Garruk, Primal Hunter // Nylea, God of the Hunt // Nissa, Voice of Zendikar // Bow of Nylea //
Voyaging Satyr // Vizier of the Menagerie // Growing Rites of Itlimoc // Azusa, Lost but Seeking
Enjoy :)
